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Some Nights, fun.'s latest album, is a worldwide left-field success, and "We Are Young" became one of 2012's signature anthems. Hear an archived performance and interview with WXPN, recorded during the group's ride to the top of the charts.

The White House is close to nominating someone to replace Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense. Several other top candidates withdrew their names from consideration in the past week.

Gen. Joseph Dunford will be nominated to succeed Gen. John Allen as the top commander in Afghanistan, according to a defense official familiar with the decision. Allen is to become head of the U.S. European Command.

Will Ferrell's Anchorman character is out with an autobiography which wound up in the non-fiction aisle at a Los Angeles area store.The Los Angeles Times first noticed the misplacement Ron Burgundy: Let Me Off At The Top.

The dating site Cupid.com has released a survey rating regional accents. The most attractive accent in North America is the Southern drawl. The New York accent came in second. Rounding out the top 5: the New Jersey, Boston and Western accents.

The hostility that has characterized the China-Taiwan relationship for the past year seems to have abated. NPR's Rob Gifford tells Noah Adams that this week Taiwan allowed the first legal direct shipping from Taiwanese-held islands to mainland China. And Taiwan's top policymaker indicated China might be more flexible than in the past on the issue of one China. China always has insisted that Taiwan accept the concept of one China, including Taiwan, with Beijing as the capital. But in an interview yesterday, a high-level official indicated Beijing might consider a broader definition of what constitutes one China.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports from Davos, Switzerland, that the annual World Economic Forum got under way today amid concern over a downturn in the U.S. economy. This year's event did not draw as many top leaders to Davos as last year's 30th anniversary meeting. The Bush administration -- in the midst of confirmation hearings -- sent no senior official to Davos. Swiss police have mounted a huge security operation to prevent the kind of "anti-globalization" protests that have surrounded recent meetings of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and World Trade Organization.

NPR's Barbara Bradley reports that, while financier Marc Rich's pardon didn't go through the usual channels at the Justice Department, one top official, Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder, was informed. Another issue about Rich's citizenship has also arisen. At one time he renounced his citizenship, but the State Department maintains he is still a U.S. citizen. If so, the multimillionaire could owe U.S. income taxes on earnings during 17-years of exile in Switzerland. That could sway his decision on whether to return to the U.S.

The fate of financially troubled Amtrak could depend on the success of Acela Express, its new high-speed train. NPR's Jack Speer reports that the long-delayed train took a group of VIPs on an inaugural run today from Washington to Boston. The train reaches a top speed of 150 miles per hour, but it's still slower than bullet trains in Europe and Japan. Acela tickets aren't cheap, and Amtrak faces a major challenge in persuading people who travel between major citieis by car or air shuttle, to opt for the train.

Every three years, the world's top bakers round up their best recipes and their rolling pins and head to Paris for an Olympic-style competition. U.S. team members offer insights on their preparation.